US TikTok users flock to ‘China’s Instagram’ ahead of ban | Social media

Taipei, Taiwan – As a TikTok ban looms in the US, young Americans are flocking to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu as “TikTok refugees” in search of a similar experience.

The app has risen to the top spot in the iOS and Google Play stores in the US in recent days as users prepare for TikTok to be banned on national security grounds from Sunday unless Chinese parent company ByteDance divests its ownership.

Chinese lifestyle app Lemon8, which is also owned by ByteDance, is ranked as the second most downloaded app.

Xiaohongshu, which has been described as China’s answer to Instagram, allows users to post photos, videos and text and is known for its female-heavy user base.

Although Xiaohongshus boasts about 300 million monthly active users, its reach is smaller than other popular apps in China, such as Sina Weibo and WeChat, which claim more than 1.2 billion users.

A surge of new users, some of whom describe themselves as “TikTok refugees,” are now flooding the app’s “Discover” page with videos seeking tips on how to use “RedNote,” the app’s new nickname in the US.

“Hey. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. The Americans are coming here. So sorry if you guys hate us. I promise we’ll do our best,” said a female user calling herself “Star404” in a short video , which was published on Tuesday.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. This is so much better than TikTok. Just not Meta. Instagram reels, I can dig. Facebook and YouTube shorts, no shots. Never happens,” she said.

The irony of many users moving from one Chinese-owned app to another is not lost on observers like Ryan Broderick, the author of Garbage Day, a newsletter that covers the Internet.

“It’s certainly funny that American teenagers are protesting the looming TikTok ban by using a much more culturally Chinese app,” Broderick told Al Jazeera.

“At the moment, RedNote doesn’t seem to be siling Chinese content or requiring users to have a Chinese phone number, so it’s become a kind of fun cultural mayhem on the app, an experience that never really even happened on TikTok.” he said.

The post by “Star404” garnered more than 4,000 comments in 24 hours, mostly from Chinese users welcoming her to the platform or joking about language challenges.

Another user, “Fern”, expressed her gratitude for the flood of Chinese followers that came to her after joining the platform.

“We need to talk about you guys blowing up my video about moving to Rednote to 50,000 new followers in less than 24 hours. You guys are insane,” she said.

“But thank you so much for all the support, I really appreciate it.”

While amusing to many Chinese Xiaohongshu users, the increase in American users has reportedly put the app’s owner in an awkward spot.

Chinese media outlet PConline reported on Tuesday that Xiaohongshu employees have been instructed to “not discuss, not promote and not share” news about its new US user base, citing sources at the company.

“This wave of traffic has become the sword of Damocles hanging over Xiaohongshu’s head. In fact, for Xiaohongshu, which inexplicably received this traffic, the risks far outweigh the opportunities,” the report said.

These potential risks include regulatory complications.

Chinese social media platforms typically require users to register with a Chinese phone number, while content is subject to government censorship.

For this reason, Chinese tech companies often create domestic and foreign versions of their apps, said Yiwen Lu, a researcher at ChinaTalk, a newsletter and podcast focused on Chinese technology.

TikTok is an international version of Douyin, while Lemon8 is specially designed by ByteDance for the foreign market.

So far, Chinese and American users see the same content on Xiaohongshu.

However, some users have reminded their American counterparts that the app comes with its own set of rules.

“Kindly reminder: On Chinese social media platforms, please do not mention sensitive topics such as politics, religion and drugs!!! Please abide by the One China policy and reject pornography, gambling and drugs,” one user wrote under Star404’s post.

“(You) can say anything here except history (China) from 1949-2025,” said another user.

ChinaTalk’s Lu said that US users will find it difficult to replicate their TikTok experience on the app – especially when it comes to monetizing content.

“The monetization models vary widely – XHS positions itself as a shopping platform where most creators earn revenue through paid partnerships. This difference makes it challenging for creators to fully transition their work and income streams to XHS in the short term,” Lu told Al Jazeera.

Livestream shopping, a hugely popular form of e-commerce in China, has taken off on Xiahongshu in recent months.

In the US, many TikTok users still shop through links to Amazon or the shopping platform LTK, short for “Like to Know”.

Lu and Broderick both expressed doubt that the influx of US users would continue due to differences between the platforms and the fact that many users had joined as an act of protest.

Still, the migration to Xiaohongshu should serve as a warning to the U.S. government and Big Tech, Broderick said.

“It’s a fun way to hopefully make American politicians realize that Chinese apps are coming to the US, whether they like it or not,” he said.

“And by the same token, it’s a good way to let Silicon Valley know that their products are stagnating, and no amount of federal bans will get young people excited about Meta products again.”